# What does it mean to "grade on a curve" in school?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-grade-on-a-curve-in-school/991124>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 4, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-grade-on-a-curve-in-school/991124 "2023-10-04T23:26:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 7

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-grade-on-a-curve-in-school/991124/7 "2023-10-05T01:26:18Z")

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I’m curious whether @Fretful_Porpentine still stands by this comment from that old thread linked to in the OP:

> [@Grading on a curve...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grading-on-a-curve/45637/16):
>
> I grade on a curve because if I, a grad student, graded my freshmen against my own idea of a well-written paper, there wouldn’t be any As and precious few Bs.

An experienced teacher probably has a much better idea of what constitutes exceptional or adequate work, at the level of a particular class, without having to judge by comparison with what the rest of the students in that class did, which is what grading on a curve does.

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